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Bin Salman had already traveled to India and Pakistan during his one – week trip, announcing new investments in the energy and infrastructure fields, before arriving in China. , the largest trading partner of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi prince is scheduled to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Friday morning, before sitting with President Xi Jinping in the afternoon.
It's been almost two years since his father, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, met Xi during a tour of the region in March 2017. At the time, both sides had agreed to "strengthen the cooperation in all areas, "according to the state. Xinhua media.
Since then, the international situation in Saudi Arabia has changed drastically.
The crown prince struggled to restore his international reputation after the murder and dismemberment of the Washington Post reporter and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year. The Crown Prince denied any connection to the murder.
The badbadination has tarnished the kingdom's reputation in the West, forcing Saudi Arabia to look elsewhere for a more favorable trading environment.
Last year, during the G20 in Argentina, when most of the leaders fled Bin Salman following the murder of Khashoggi, Xi was one of the few leaders
photographed warmly engaging with the Saudi prince.
Close business partner
China is Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner, far ahead of neighboring European countries and closely aligned with the United States. In 2018, imports from Saudi Arabia reached $ 46 billion.
Both countries seek mutual support for the flagship political initiatives of their leaders.
Saudi Arabia has already expressed strong interest in participating in Xi's extensive Belt and Road Infrastructure Plan, which aims to build roads, railways and ports linking China to the world.
Under Beijing's maritime "road", huge amounts of Chinese trade will pbad through the Red Sea, on the Saudi Arabian border, to get to Europe.
According to badysts, the kingdom hopes that China, meanwhile, will be an important part of Bin Salman's Saudi Vision 2030 project, a vast economic plan designed to dispel the country's "penchant" on oil revenues.
Euromonitor International senior badyst Rabia Yasmeen said Bin Salman's visit to Asia was important for the success of the Vision 2030 plan.
"This visit is expected to yield more fruitful results on the economic front with respect to China's" One Belt, One Road "initiative and how the Saudi government can take advantage of the initiative for its vision 2030, "she said.
In an interview with Xinhua, Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, said that the Saudi investment in China "was just beginning" .
"Our culture is very compatible with Chinese culture, we sent hundreds of our students to study in China, and when they came back to speak Chinese, thousands of Saudis realized how beautiful and beautiful China is. more than that, "he said. "There will be great prosperity for both countries."
Yong Xiong from CNN contributed to this article.
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